8 colossal industries Elon Musk plans to turn upside down [Infographic]

In this modern day David and Goliath battle (multiplied by eight), one man is trying to take down a bevy of behemoth industries. CB Insights reports, "Elon Musk thinks and acts on a larger, more cosmic scale than we’re accustomed to... His main projects take on almost every major industry and global problem conceivable, and imagine a disruptive fundamental rewiring of that space or sector."

Above: The companies and initiatives connected to Elon Musk (Source: CB Insights)

So which sectors are on Musk's hit list? CB Insights looks at: "8 different industries where Musk and his companies operate to understand how they have begun to change," transform, and mold them into Musk's futuristic vision. Digital Journal provides a top-line recap highlighting the scope and breadth of what Elon Musk is attempting...

Energy

Musk’s efforts with Tesla Energy (including the acquisition of SolarCity coupled with stationary battery storage) could completely alter domestic and international power utilities and the traditional utility business model. And Tesla is expanding beyond solar panels into stunning solar roof tiles. In addition, the company's recent efforts in Australia already represent the world's biggest battery installation.

Automotive

Musk also wants Tesla's electric vehicles to be increasingly affordable. In addition to launching the lower priced Model 3, Tesla's Autopilot is moving the company closer to the goal of having Level 5 self-driving cars. In turn, Musk's Tesla Network initiative may eventually pose a major challenge to UBER, Lyft, and traditional taxi firms.

Telecommunications

Musk’s satellite initiatives at SpaceX could begin to alter how the public gets online as well as providing fast, affordable Internet. These efforts include providing the Internet to many remote communities currently without access. 

Transportation

Efforts in the transportation sector include Musk's brainchild, the Hyperloop, a proposed fifth mode of transportation, which aims to reduce the 6-hour trip from DC to New York to a mere 30 minutes. A Hyperloop is a proposed mode of passenger and/or freight transportation, already being tested extensively by Musk's pal Richard Branson via Virgin Hyperloop One.

Above: A few of Musk's efforts to disrupt entrenched industries (Source: CB Insights)

Infrastructure

Musk’s venture into tunnel boring aims to lower costs across the tunneling industry. Currently, CB Insights notes, a mile of tunnel currently costs $1 billion to dig. In late 2017, Musk's tongue-in-cheek named "Boring Company" has already started digging in Los Angeles.

Aerospace

While SpaceX plans future flights to Mars, the company's rocket technology could also revolutionize Earth travel as well, including a type of “spaceflight” trip connecting international cities like London and Hong Kong. This concept takes advantage of sub-orbital space flight routes around the globe. Musk believes with such a flight trajectory, you can reach anywhere on earth in under an hour.

Artificial Intelligence

Musk has expressed concerns about artificial intelligence triggering a world war; for this reason he is seeking to build better AI. Musk has been quoted as saying: "I keep sounding the alarm bell but until people see robots going down the street killing people, they don’t know how to react because it seems so ethereal." In the interim, he's funding OpenAI to research the matter.

Healthcare

Musk has been looking to merge healthcare and technology via a high-bandwidth, minimally invasive brain machine interface designed by Neuralink. Musk has said the company aims to make devices to treat serious brain diseases in the short-term, with the eventual goal of human enhancement.

Above: Outer space, electric cars, and energy production are just a few of the areas Elon Musk is trying to tackle (Flickr: Carsten Hensch)

Elon Musk's ecosystem of initiatives outlined here, "take on almost every major industry and global problem conceivable, and imagine a disruptive fundamental rewiring of that space or sector." CB Insights concludes, "These companies represent huge possible disruptions, some sized in the trillions of dollars, because their potential payoff is much more than winning a specific vertical or market — it's the future of humanity itself." 

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Source: CB Insights / Digital Journal